Jack Shafer
has been performing poetry and dramatic monolog for about fifteen years
and has visited most of the poetry venues in Southern California. His
style leans toward story telling but with a realism that involves the
audience and their emotions. In order to describe what effect he is
trying to cause he has coined the term "experiential sensitization".
This suggests that the audience member is caused to experience,
vicariously, a situation that evokes emotions and feelings. Then Jack
provides direction in the performance that allows the audience member
to expand those emotions and to see them in others. Knowing that we all
share similar pains and joys helps us to love each other. Jack is both
a poet and a story teller and will present both styles in his
performance at
Moonday.

FILIGREE

I will invite into your mind
a space
into which you may insert yourself
as though you ever could not.

When you hear my poems
your words slip in between mine
coloring them yours.

When you remember my poems
you remember your heartaches
your tears of joy.

My poems lie upon your life
as filigree
as lace
your beautiful soul
shining through the spaces.

My poems are really nothing more
than beautiful colors
sprayed into the air you see through
sweet music
into the things you hear
the taste of lemons and strawberries
into the moisture of your mouth.